


Hope

by cosmogyrals



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-04 23:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmogyrals/pseuds/cosmogyrals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally written on January 20, 2009. The Doctor and Martha attend the inauguration of Barack Obama.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hope

"Here we are!" The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS onto the National Mall, coat swirling around him. "January 20th, 2009, the inauguration of Barack Obama, America's first black president. Isn't it _brilliant_ , Martha?"

Martha wrapped her coat around herself tightly as her breath fogged in the air. "It's _cold_ ," she pointed out. "And I told you, I could've got both of us tickets from UNIT."

"Ah, but 's much better down here with the _people_." He grinned at her. "Look - _two million_ people all out in the cold to celebrate _their_ president. You know, when this country was founded almost two hundred and fifty years ago, Obama only would've been counted as _three-fifths_ of a person, and here he is today, being sworn in as president."

Martha raised her eyebrows at him. "You read that last bit off of that nice white-haired bloke's teleprompter," she pointed out, as said teleprompter was clearly visible from where she was standing.

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't make it any less true, does it? Anyway, it's fantastic, the sheer _significance_ of it all, don't you think? There's a financial crisis, a never-ending war - the American people are _tired_ of it all, weary and cynical, and they're out here to celebrate change, the dawning of a new era. This, Martha Jones, is what I _love_ about mankind."

She grinned excitedly back at him as she rubbed her hands together briskly to try to keep them warm. The enthusiasm of the day definitely appeared to be catching; there was a hum of excitement in the air that grew to a dull roar as the assorted officials began taking their place on the Capitol steps. The Doctor was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

"Remember when we attended Lincoln's inauguration?" he asked her. "They had to sneak him through Baltimore in the dead of night because they were afraid of assassination attempts. Obama took the same train ride - not all the way from Springfield, obviously - but celebrated in Baltimore, where he picked up Vice President-elect Joe Biden. He's using the same Bible to take the oath of office, even. There's _loads_ of historical parallels here - well, they're meant to be celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of Lincoln's birth. They're both absolutely brilliant orators, though Obama _sounds_ better than Lincoln ever did."

"Are you a fan of Obama much, Doctor?" Martha teased him. Granted, _everybody_ was, including Martha herself - and she wasn't even American. He seemed to be a bit of a rock star in a way that British politicians couldn't quite manage. Tony Blair had been tremendously popular when he took office, and Martha couldn't picture him _ever_ drawing crowds like this. The only person she could think of who was comparable to this was - well, _he_ was dead now, and the hypnotic effect Obama had on people was definitely just a coincidence, and due to charisma, _not_ a network of satellites broadcasting a subliminal suggestion.

"I was here for Martin Luther King's speech, you know," the Doctor replied instead. "Stood right by the edge of the reflecting pool - well, that was, what...my fifth self, I think? Very serious sort of chap - me, not Doctor King. But his speech sent chills down my spine. Nobody there would've anticipated that this day would ever come - at least, not so soon. Me, I watched these buildings be constructed by slaves. I've _been_ to the Ivory Coast of Africa, the slave markets of Charleston, the cotton plantations of Georgia. I helped Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad - would've taken her straight to Canada if it hadn't mucked around with history too much." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Nearly every civilised planet has had slavery at some point in its history, but very few overcame it as _magnificently_ as Earth has. And Obama, well, he's just the tip of the iceberg."

Martha reached up and covered his mouth as the President-elect stepped up to the podium. "Hush, you. I want to _listen_. We didn't come all the way here to listen to you talk - I could've done that at home." And, she thought wryly, it would've been a good deal warmer. 

An incredible silence fell over the crowd as the Chief Justice administered the oath of office, followed by a deafening cheer. Martha could feel herself grinning just as broadly as anybody else in the crowd, and she didn't quite know why. And then Obama started talking - and _this_ , Martha knew, this was what she had walked the Earth for. This feeling of hope, of a race's indomitable spirit, of people joining together as one to overcome all obstacles. Tears were streaming down her face, even though she kept smiling, and she wasn't the only one crying; there wasn't a dry eye in the house (or, rather, the Mall). She clung to the Doctor's hand, wondering if this was what it was always like to witness history in the making - oh, they'd been to a fair few historical events, but none quite like _this_. This...this seemed intimately _personal_ to Martha, as she knew it did to every one of the two million people there to watch it, people who'd come from across the globe for whatever reason to celebrate _change_. It was _her_ time, not someone else's, and it was up to people like her and President Obama and everybody in the Mall or watching at home on their televisions to make a difference.


End file.
